Condenser



j. D. STONE. coNDENsER.

`APPLICATION FILED SEPTs 6,` 1917;

memeamg.- 8, 1922,

.Iosnrn n. sTcNn, or ARLINGTON, Naw JERSEY,- AssIGNon. To won'rriINGToN rui/Ir AND MACHINERY CORPORATION, a coRroaaTroN or vIaeINm.

CONDENSER.

i ,asesina Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Auw. 8, i922.

Application led September 6, 19,17. Serial 110,189,932.

To all whom t may conce/"n:

Be it known that l, JosnrH D. SToNa, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Arlington, county of Hudson, and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful improvements in Condensers, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to condensers made use of for condensing vsteam from the cxhaust of steam utilizing devices, such as en` gines.

rllurbine steam engines are commonly set on foundations provided with large cavities or recesses for the accommodation of condensers' comprising shells, water boxes, etc., made entirely of metal, into which the exhaust steam is discharged and there condensed. 1With such arrangement the con crete foundation is weakened by the pro-- vision of the large recesses required, whichL must exceed the dimension of the condenser l in order to provide laccess to the condenser set therein, and enormous masses of metal are required for the construction of the condensers for large power units; great dif iiculty is found, also, in preventing injury to the turbine or rupture of the connection between the turbine and the condenser owing' to the expansion of the condenser shell.

According to my invention the concrete of the foundation is made to serve also as the walls of the condenser, thereby greatly reducing the amount of metal required for the condenser, producing a very strong and substantial foundation. and cutting down the outside dimension of the foundation by eliminating the need for clearance space between the condenser and the foundation, which` space, according to my invention, is preferably filled with concrete.

An object of the invention is the production of a condenser structure having the advantageous features above referred to, and with the foregoing and related objects in View, my invention consists in the constructions, improvements, parts and combinations herein set forth and claimed.

For the purpose of affording an understanding of my invention, I have illustrated in the accompanying drawing, forming a part of this specification, one form in which my invention may be embodied.

In the said drawingFigure l is a planv view of a combined foundation and ,con-

denser. Figure 2 is a side view thereof with an engine and vgenerator in place thereon. Figure 8 is a transverse cross-sectional view, andFlgure 4 is a longitudinal crosssectional vview of the construction shown in Figure 1.

ia foundation, in the construction shown, for

the generator 12 directly connected to the turbine. The l-beams 13, embedded in the upper portion of the concrete, serve as .foundation sills for the engine, and in the form shown the exhaust 14 from the engine is received directly inthe steam inlet opening 15 formed in the top of the concrete structure. Means permitting relative expansion and contraction of the exhaust connection are preferably utilized for making a l steam-tight connection between the exhaust pipe lei and the concrete structure, and in the` form shown a plate 16. preferably of metal, is embedded at` its edges in the concrete and is securedy to the exhaust opening 14, leaving an annular space 17au closed only by the plate 16 and permitting such slight relative movements of theparts as may result from expansion and contraction of 'thel exhaust connection, and at the same time affording a tight joint. The inlet opening 15 leads to the hollow interior of the concrete structure, which serves as the condensation chamber, lts walls are preferably cored out in the concrete, but they may be lined, as with sheet metal, for example, if desired, which may serve as the form or core in putting the concrete in place.` A t the ends of the preferably substantially cylindrical hollow space within the concrete structure are rings 17 and 17, which may be of cast `iron and may be in one piecer or sectional.

lfor the condenser,v and when continuous rings are provided the rings themselves may form the peripheral walls for the water boxes. The members 17, l may not be vcomplete rings at all parts, if desired. Considerable metal may be saved in; this way.

Forjexample, the peripheral walls of the water b ox may bemade up for themost part of concrete with four or 'more metallic 'strips to bridge over between separate narrow rings to which the tube plates and water box heads are respectively connected.

rl`ube plates 18 and 18 are secured within the rings 17, 17 and are preferably seated against anges 19, 19, so that they may be introduced through the'open ends of the rings. rlhe tubes 20 are secured in the tube plates 18, 18 in any manner, as by screwbushings with packing, or by expansion or in other ways; The tube plates 18, 18 are preferably braced, and when they are divided into quarters, as is preferably the case with plates of a large size, the braces may f also cover the joints between the sections.

ln the form shown horizontal braces 21 are provided extending across the middle of the tube plates and are supported at their ends in inward extensions of the rings 17, 17 and vertical braces 22, 22 are provided and are secured to the tube plates along the' vertical section line between the separate parts thereof, and are also preferably secured at their ends to the inward extensions Vof the rings 17 17.

rlhe tubes 2.0 are preferably supported between their ends to prevent sagging. ln the form shown there are two perforated supporting plates 23, 23 held by cross-braces 24, 24 between which are interposed longi- 1 tudinal members for holding the tube plates 'outward against air f pressure, pipes 25, 25

being preferably made use of for this purpose. In" the form shown the braces 24, -24 are secured at one end to plates 26, 26 embedded .in the concrete and having the form of short channel bars, and their opposite ends are secured to an elongated channel bar 27 embedded in the concrete on the opposite side. m'

The tubes 20 in the condenser casing may be arranged in any preferred way. l prefer to arrange the tubes in the `upper part of the condenser casing in vertical sets with channels 28, 28 at intervals between them, and the tubes in thev lower part thereof are shown as having short downwardly leading openings 29, 29 between them to permit proper circulation of the steam.

In the-v form shown there are three openings to .the interior of the casing of the condenser, an opening 30 vfor free steam exhaust, which may beV equipped with the usual valve and may be provided with a collar 31 embedded in the concrete for making tight connections,the opening 32 leading to the well 33 in which the water obtained from steam condensation is collected and from which it. maybe drawn o', as by a pump, and thev air exhaust opening v34, also equipped with a collar as in the case of the other twov openings. A baffle plate 35, ar-

ranged over the mouth of the openingv34 and preferably inclined downward therefrom and received between the tubes, is provided to prevent withdrawal of the steam through the air exhaust opening-34. Any or all of the openings 30, 32 and 34 may be sufficiently large to serve as manhole openings whereby acc-ess may be had to the interior of the casing when necessary.

The water boxes 36 and 36, as already stated, preferably occupy the space within the rings 17, m17.v They are provided with heads 37, 37 having manholes provided with cover plates 38, 38 to permit access to the tube plates. Braces are preferably provided Within the vwater boxes, and when the heads and tube sheets are in quadrant form, these braces, like the braces within the condensation chamber, may be arranged centrally, vertically and horizontally so as to cover and close the joints between the sections. "lhese braces preferably extendv from the tube sheets to the water box heads. In the form shown the horizontal `brace 39 issolidv s0 as' to prevent the passage of water, while the corresponding brace 39 in the water box 36 is provided with water circulation openings, as are also the vertical braces 40 gress and egress waterpipes are connected,

is preferably somewhat deeper than the water box 36 to permit the formation of lateral openings therein of sufficient size forthe inlet and outlet water pipes.

I have not attempted toshow herein the small details ofl construction,` whichv are readily understood, as, for example, it will be understood that the parts are secured together preferably by bolts, and that suitable gaskets or other packing devices arepro vided where needed. l

lt will be seen 4that myr invention secures numerous advantages in practice. For example in addition to the advantageous features already referred tothe efficiency of the condenser' is increased by the short and simple passages formed directly in the concrete and 'through which the steam flows vmuch more readily than through the passages of irregular shape made in cast iron, `and thecost 1s greatly decreased as compared with condensers having the usual enormously heavy and expensive iron shells. Any means for condensing the steam in the chamber formed in the foundation may be used, Within the broader features of the invention, although the invention is of especial value in connection With surface condensers. For example instead of surface condensation, condensation by a jet or jets of Water may be resorted to, and generally, it is to be understood that the embodiment illustrated is intended only for affording a clear understanding of my invention which may be embodied in other forms than as shown so long as they are included Within the scope of my claims by which my invention is defined.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A combined engine and condenser therefor, the condenser shell and engine foundation of concrete or other non-metallic material being combined for transmission of the heat expansion of the condenser shell through the foundation.

2. A conbined engine and foundation therefor, the foundation consisting of concrete or other non-metallic material and forming the shell of the condenser for the engine,

3. An engine foundation cored out in its interior to form a condensing chamber connecting with the exhaust steam outlet of the engine, rings embedded in the foundation at the ends of the cored out chamber and provided With heads and tube plates to form condensing Water boxes, and pipes connecting with the Water boxes and mounted in the tube plates.

4i. An engine foundation of concrete or other non-metallic material havinga condensing chamber formed directly therein and connecting With lthe engine exhaust, and means for circulating Water through said chamber to condense the exhaust steam.

5. An engine foundation having a condensing chamber formed directly therein and an inlet passage leading thereto, an engine on said foundation and having a flexible connection between its exhaust outlet and said inlet passage, and means for circulating Water through the chamber to condense the exhaust steam.

6. The combination with a turbine or other steam engine, of a surface condenser for the exhaust steam having its condensing chamber located below the engine and con necting directly With the engine exhaust and having its shell formed by the material of the foundation.

7. The combination With a turbine or other steam engine and its foundation of concrete or like material, of a surface condenser' having its shell formed by the foundation niaterial and connecting Withthe engine exhaust and Water circulating passages Within the shell for surface condensation of the steam.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing, I have hereto set my hand, this 4th day of September, 1917.

JOSEPH D. STONE, 

